# Baseball - most runs in an inning?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-most-runs-in-an-inning/289762>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [February 12, 2005, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-most-runs-in-an-inning/289762 "2005-02-12T18:12:00Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 7\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Strinka](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/strinka/32/512_2.png) [@Strinka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Strinka)\
**Post date:** [February 12, 2005, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-most-runs-in-an-inning/289762/1 "2005-02-12T18:12:00Z")

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How many, when did it happen and what team did it?

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**Author:** ![Catalyst](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e47774/32.png) [@Catalyst](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Catalyst)\
**Post date:** [February 12, 2005, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-most-runs-in-an-inning/289762/2 "2005-02-12T18:20:14Z")

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> [@Strinka](#):
>
> How many, when did it happen and what team did it?

A quick googling says it was the Boston Red Sox with 17 runs in the 7th inning of a 1953 game against the Detroit Tigers.

[Link](http://boston.redsox.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/bos/history/bos_history_timeline_article.jsp?article=1953)

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**Author:** ![Casey1505](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dc4da7/32.png) [@Casey1505](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Casey1505)\
**Post date:** [February 12, 2005, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-most-runs-in-an-inning/289762/3 "2005-02-12T19:51:27Z")

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> [@Catalyst](#):
>
> A quick googling says it was the Boston Red Sox with 17 runs in the 7th inning of a 1953 game against the Detroit Tigers.
> 
> [Link](http://boston.redsox.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/bos/history/bos_history_timeline_article.jsp?article=1953)

The Chicago Cubs scored 18 against, presumably, a different Detroit rotation in 1883.

[link.](http://www.baseball-almanac.com/recbooks/rb_runs2.shtml)

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**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\
**Post date:** [February 12, 2005, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-most-runs-in-an-inning/289762/4 "2005-02-12T20:31:44Z")

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The most runs ever scored by BOTH teams in an inning is 19, by the Indians (13) and Red Sox (6) in the 8th inning, April 4, 1977.

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**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\
**Post date:** [February 12, 2005, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-most-runs-in-an-inning/289762/5 "2005-02-12T21:01:20Z")

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What about the record for batters sent to the plate in an inning? The description for that Red Sox game says they sent 23 batters to the plate - that’s the maximum there could be for 17 runs - 17 + 3 outs + 3 stranded on base. The 18 run inning by the Cubs could theoretically have involved 24 batters sent to the plate, though I doubt if it did.

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**Author:** ![Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a587f6/32.png) [@Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freddy_the_Pig)\
**Post date:** [February 12, 2005, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-most-runs-in-an-inning/289762/6 "2005-02-12T21:33:03Z")

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Chicago left two men on base in their 1883 18-run inning, so they also sent 23 men to the plate.

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**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\
**Post date:** [February 12, 2005, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-most-runs-in-an-inning/289762/7 "2005-02-12T21:40:52Z")

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> [@Casey1505](#):
>
> > [@Catalyst](#):
> >
> > A quick googling says it was the Boston Red Sox with 17 runs in the 7th inning of a 1953 game against the Detroit Tigers.
> 
> The Chicago Cubs scored 18 against, presumably, a different Detroit rotation in 1883.
> 
> [link.](http://www.baseball-almanac.com/recbooks/rb_runs2.shtml)

The reason for the different information here is that “modern baseball” is deemed to have started in 1900-01, owing to the wide variation in rules during the first quarter century of the National League and the 3-4 other ‘major leagues’ that were around at various times during that period.